Surgical needle.



0. G. DAYIS.

SURGICAL NEEDLE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.9,1908.

Patented Apr. 11, 1911.

' in all the views o't-thc d 'awings by the same UNITED STATES liATEN TOFFICE.

CLEVELAND G. DAVIS. OF MANISIEE, MICHIGAN.

SURGICAL NEEDLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Iatented Apr. 11, 1911.

Application filed April 9, 1908. Serial No. 426,110.

1 '0 all whom 'it may concern:

lie it known that l. (LliYl-IHANI) (i. :DAYIS. citizen of the UnitedStates. residing at Ma'nistee. in the county of Manistec and State of\lichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in SurgicalNeedles. of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates in general to surgery and moreparticularly to an improved surgical needle enil'iodying novel .meausfor sterilizing the thread employed in connection therewith.

The invention-further contemplates means for supplying the needle withthread from a rollor bobbin. thereby enabling several yards of thread'to be employed and a number of stitches to be taken witlibut thenecessity of rethreadiug the needle.

A further objectof the invention is the provision of a needle ofthis-character which Is simple and inexpensive in its construction andwill operate 111 an effective manner to accon'lplish the desired result.

For a full understa-mling of the invention and the merits thereof andalso to acquire a knowledge of the detailsof construction and the meansfor e'll'ecting the result, referonce is to be had to the followingdescription and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of. a surgi cal needle embodying theinvention. Fig. 2

is a longitudinal sectional view through the' same. Fig. 3 is a similarview of the handle; Fig. 41. is a detached perspective view of thereceptacle arranged within the handle and adapted to,c0ntan1 anantiseptic solution for sterilizing the thread. Fig. 5 IS an enlargedsectional view through the needle'engaglng clamp.

' Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and. indicated reference clniractcrs.

I Referriug lo the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the handle whichhas a hollow 0rtubular tornnition and is normally closed-by means of acap 2. This cap 1s approxlmately conical in shape and is provided at,its base with a flange 2 which is threaded upon the mouth of thehandle 1. Jaws 4 are'iocated to force th'ejaws inwardly so as to engagethe shank of a needle placed between the same. l'lowever, by turning theclamping ring inwardly the jaws will be permitted to spread apart andrelease the needle. It will thus be apparent that various sizes andforms of be required.

A. receptacle 7 fits snugly within the handle 1 so as to be completelyinclosed therein and protected from injury thereby, the said receptaclebeing designed to contain an antiseptic solution. A ball of thread 8 isplaced within the receptacle 7 and the end of the thread is drawnthrough an opening in the stopper 9 of the receptacle, the said stopperservingto prevent leakage of the antiseptic solution from the receptacleand also acting to expel all surplus moisture from .the thread. After'being drawn through the stopper S.) the thread is passed through anopening 10 in the'cap 2. extends along the needle 5 and is threadedthrough the eye 5 of theneedle. It will thus be obvious that the threadheld within the-re-' cep tacle sterilized by the antiseptic solution andthat the thread may be drawn from the receptacle as required for use inconnection with the needle. I

In using the device the needle is pushed through the incision andcarries the thread with it, the operator taking hold of the end needlesmay be applied to the cap 2 as may of'th e thread and pulling back theneedle so as to leave the thread in the wound as'a stitch to be tiedafter the assistant has cut it. The needle is then ready for anotherstitch without the necessity of rethreading the same and the thread"which is supplied -to the needle is completely sterilized by theantiseptic solution within the receptacle. it will be obvious thatshould it be found do sirable the-thread may be 'wound 'upon a bobbinprevious to being placed in the receptacle, and that any suitable formof thread may be employed, either silk, linen,- or catgut.

The peculiar construction of the surgical instrument above described hascertain ad vantages which are pecidiarly due to the. shape .of the capand the peculiar relation which the cap has to the receptacle containedwithin 'the handle. The handle is imporforate or solid and is only openat one end, this end being closed by the conical cap and by the stopper,to the internal receptacle. Hence, the thread is entirely contoo -projects through the stopper 5), but not.

through the cap, and hence is entirely protected by the cap. When it isdesired to use. the device, the cap can he unscrewed, the thread passedthrough the hole in the cap, 5 and threaded into the needle. Underorglinary cireun'istances, however, the thread is protected. Theinterior receptacle has practice ily the same dimensions as the ham dle,though preferably it. projects somewhat 0 above the handle, and thus theconical cap contacts with the receptacle 7 and holds it in place sothat. the receptacle cannot shift. as it. would if the receptacle wereslightly smaller than the. handle. Furthermore, the a cap 2 acts to holdthe stopper 9 in plate within the inner .reeeptael and prevents thestopper rising so as to come out. of the end of the receptacle As aconsequence, the opening through the stopper 9 for the passage ol thethread, may he made relatively sn'ialhso as to tightly til the thread.Thus leakage prevented, and atv the same time the frictional engagementoi the llli"tltl with the stopper will not act to draw the stopper outof the month of the receptacle, the stopper being held in place. by theinwardly inclined walls of the cap. The conical 'l'ornia- -tioneot. thecap has likewise this ad vantage, that it permits the cap to be turnedrela tively to the stopper so that the thread opening in the cap stoppershall not exactly aline, whereas if the cap were not conical butextended directly across the end of the handle so as to contact with thestopper and hold it in place, a very slight diflerence in registrybetween the thread hole in the cap and the thread hole in the stopperwould tend to kink the thread. This would not only tend to prevent. thewithdrawal of the thread, but would also act to cut it. The innerreceptacle 7 extending as it; does above or even with the month of thehandle 1, and being closed by the stopper 9, there is little chance ofleakage past the screwthreaded tlange E2. The handle being solid, thisis the only point where leakage can occur.

llavig g thus described the invention, what is tilai as new is:

A snrgrfial instrument consisting of :1. cylindt'leal, lulmlar.nnpert'orate handle open at. one end.a cylindrical receptacle adapted tosnugly (it within the handle with its upper edge slightly rn'ojeet ingbeyond the open end of the handle, a stopper closing the monthot thereceptacle and having an open ing' extending therethrongh for thepassage ol the thread, a hollow conical cap having an annnia rinteriorly screw-threaded flange at its base engaging the end of thehollow. handle and elosing'the same, said cap contatting; with the.slightly projecting edge of the receptacle and holding the receptacleand stopper securely in place against movement. said'cap being"perforated for the 'pas sage ol the thread, and a. clamp forming the endof the cap and adapted to engage a needle.

Tn testimony whereof I atlix my signature in presence. of two witnesses.V

l'ilG'VELAND G. DAVIS. [Ls] lV it messes Jmrns L. SnannN, Ka'rnnrn(hour.

